Wallace B. Jefferson

Infobox _Officeholder
name=Wallace B. Jefferson


nationality=American
office= Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice
party=Republican
term_start=2004
term_end=
preceded=Tom Phillips
succeeded=Incumbent
office2=Texas Supreme Court Justice
term_start2=2001
term_end2=2004
preceded2=Alberto Gonzales
succeeded2=David M. Medina
date of birth=birth date and age|1963|7|22
place of birth=
date of death=
residence=
occupation=Attorney; Judge
spouse= Rhonda Jefferson
children=Three sons

Wallace B. Jefferson (born July 22, 1963) [Net Detective, People Search] is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas. His current abbreviated term ends December 31, 2008. He is the Republican nominee for a full six-year term in the November general election.

Historic judicial appointments and election

Jefferson has three times made Texas judicial history. In 2001, Governor Rick Perry appointed him the first African American Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, and then again in 2004 he was appointed the first African American Chief Justice. In November 2002, Jefferson also became, along with Justice Dale Wainwright, one of the first two African Americans elected to the Court.

Jefferson was first appointed to the court on April 18, 2001, to fill the vacancy left by Alberto R. Gonzales, who resigned to become White House Counsel to President George W. Bush. Jefferson was then elected to that seat in 2002 with 56 percent of the vote. Before Jefferson could get a chance to complete his new term, however, he was again promoted by Perry. On September 20, 2004, Perry appointed Jefferson the successor to Chief Justice Thomas R. Phillips, who had retired from the Court a few weeks earlier after nearly seventeen years as chief. Jefferson was elected to serve out the remainder of Phillips's unexpired term as Chief Justice in November 2006. Thus, Jefferson has not yet been elected to a full six-year term but will face the voters in November.

Wallace B. Jefferson Middle School

Northside ISD School Board trustees approved the name of the Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court, Wallace B. Jefferson, to be the name of Northside ISD's newest school.

Wallace B. Jefferson Middle School opened on August 27, 2007 - it opened as NISD's fifteenth Middle School. The dedication ceremony was held on October 27, 2007. In the gym they had the initials JMS with the names of all the students in all the grades. The school had art made by the students around it on the dedication day.

Personal life

Jefferson and his wife, Rhonda J. Jefferson (born 1965), have three sons. He is an alumnus of John Jay High School in San Antonio, Texas, the James Madison College at Michigan State University and the University of Texas School of Law.

References

External links

* [http://www.supreme.courts.state.tx.us/court/justice_wjefferson.asp Profile at Texas Supreme Court website]
* [http://www.wallacejefferson.com/bio.html Official Campaign Site for Wallace Jefferson]
* [http://www.utexas.edu/law/news/2004/091404_jefferson.html University of Texas Law School Press Release Announcing Jefferson's appointment as Chief Justice]
*Mogle, Danny, [http://www.tylerpaper.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=2538256&BRD=1994&PAG=461&dept_id=226369&rfi=6 "Jefferson running to fill high court term."] Tyler Morning Telegraph, October 23, 2001.
* [http://jeffersonms.nisd.net Wallace B. Jefferson Middle School]